My story – from Caroline to Stormie

I grew up in SE Asia. Hong Kong in the 70s still had tin houses along the sides of its mountains and when the typhoons hit, these sled down the mountain. In Nepal, children begged on the streets and I remember meeting children in the mountains who had to walk 3 hours one way to school. These experiences awoke in me a passion for justice, human well being and the environment.

From Nature till biologyI have always loved to spend time in Nature. In SE Asia, it was rich, exciting and inviting. I saw close hand how the tropical forests were replaced by oil palm plantations and how the coral reefs were destroyed through man's actions. I think it contributed to my decision to become a biologist. My profession has taken me around the globe. Prior to taking the leap to work full-time with Stormie Poodle, I worked for 13 years communicating to the the latest research results regarding our ecosystems; trying to increase people's knowledge about their importance for our societies and economies.

Fram children to children's clothesMy first two children are boys. When my third child - a girl - was born, I was inundated with new pretty dresses and rompers. I also inherited a lot of handmedowns from friends with older children. It hit me after awhile that I used the handmedowns most of the time. The new clothes were so pretty and felt so soft, but not on the inside. The seams often felt hard and they were full of plastic logos and labels.

From inherited clothes to an idea The handmedowns on the other hand, were very soft on the inside. And knowing that most of the worst chemicals had been washed out contributed to making them my first choice. The new clothes often ended up on top of a handmedown. That was when it occurred to me: Why don't we make new clothes for children out of used clothes? Out of this idea I developed three core values:

One – ecofriendly reuse In order to not have to create one-off designs I needed a never ending supply of the same type of already used material. I wanted high quality cotton. My thoughts soon led me to hotel linen.

Two - healthy material Most hotels lease their linen from laundries. The laundries shred the sheets and towels that no longer fit the bill. I asked if I could buy these hotel linen that were about to be discarded.

Three – ethical production It was important that also the manufacturing would contribute to something good. I found Livslust, a Swedish foundation that then ran a vocational school for orphaned and other disenfranchised youths in Latvia. The youths were given a vocation and received rehabilitation. In Livslust's sewing studio, employed adults, working for a proper salary could be hired to manufacture goods. I had found the basis for what today is Stormie Poodle!

All of this happened in 2008. Since then, a lot of water has run under the bridge, we have won competitions and established new relationships etc. Follow our journey on Instagram and Facebook!